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Pr. O'Neal Dozier. (twwcc.org)

The very first stop for Rick Santorum's campaign in Florida (where he came in third) was at Pompano Beach's WorldWide Christian Center, headed by the Reverend O'Neal Dozier, who was also his honorary Florida chairman. A noted anti-homosexual preacher, Dozier announced yesterday that he'd be holding a Sunday morning press conference to "ask Governor Mitt Romney to renounce his racist religion." Citing verses in the Book of Mormon that accuse God of "cursing the black African people," Dozier also attacked Romney's church for being "prejudiced against Jews" and Native Americans. He also pointed to the highly controversial practice of posthumous baptisms. (In response to criticisms, the Mormon leadership has blocked off the names of Holocaust survivors in its extensive genealogical database.)

Because of the aforementioned facts, we believe that a Romney Presidential nomination for the Republican Party would widen the racial divide to a point of no return, because the Republican Party would be viewed as a racist political party.

This is not the first time that Dozier has attacked the religion of the man who is now Rick Santorum's main rival. Back in late January, Dozier told the Palm Beach Post that "the American people will not vote for a Mormon to be president of the United States." Today, he's doubling down on that argument, adding that "Romney's racist religion would be Obama's secret weapon for his re-election." For those who can still remember October's Values Voter Summit, these remarks may recall those made by Rick Perry supporter and Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress, who likened Mormonism to a "cult." At the time, Perry was forced to distance himself from Jeffress.

Obviously, Mormonism remains poorly understood, especially among evangelicals who have been flocking to Santorum's banner, so it could be in Santorum's interest to re-stoke the Mormon debate for at least a few news cycles. In fact, just yesterday, he touted Dozier's endorsement in a press release.